Radio communication devices, such as two-way radios and cellular telephones, usually include a power amplifier that can be set to a gain on the order of 20 decibels (dB). Additionally, transmitted signals can have power levels of up to 20 Watts (W). Energy often leaks back into the power amplifier input, which results in regeneration. Another common problem in radio communication devices is that the power dissipated by an energy storage device, such as a capacitor, coupled to the power amplifier can be as large as 0.2 W, which increases the temperature, and therefore reduces the useful life, of the radio device. Devices such as electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield and heat sinks can be used to minimize these problems, but space constraints within small, portable radio devices make this solution difficult.
Thus, what is needed is a space-efficient way of dealing with regeneration and heat generation within radio communication devices.